No. 8 Florida avoids scare, beats Missouri 14-7

No. 8 Florida avoids scare, beats Missouri 14-7

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Mike Gillislee took a screen pass and went 45 yards for a touchdown, and No. 8 Florida survived a scare to beat Southeastern Conference newcomer Missouri 14-7 on Saturday.

The Gators rebounded from a turnover-filled loss to rival Georgia and kept alive hopes of winning the SEC's Eastern Division. They need the Bulldogs to lose one of their remaining games, against Mississippi on Saturday or Auburn next week, to clinch a spot in the league title game.

At times, Florida looked less than interested in staying in the SEC hunt. The Gators (8-1, 7-1) were shut out in the first half, managing just 111 yards and failing to contain Missouri quarterback James Franklin.

Like so many other games this season, though, Florida played considerably better in the second half.

The Gators turned two short fields into touchdowns, with Omarius Hines scoring on a 36-yard jet sweep to tie the game in the third before Gillislee put Florida ahead for good in the fourth.

Jeff Driskel lofted a pass to Gillislee in the right flat, and with two blockers out front, Gillislee made one cut and went untouched for his eighth score of the season.

Florida's defense did the rest, shutting down Franklin and the Tigers (4-5, 1-5) over the final 13 minutes.

Josh Evans sealed the victory, intercepting Franklin's fourth-down pass in the end zone with 5 seconds remaining. The Tigers drove to the 21-yard line, but had to try to make something happen as the clock wound down.

Franklin finished with four interceptions.

Franklin, who sprained his left knee against Vanderbilt on Oct. 6 and sat out all or part of the last two games, completed 24 of 51 passes for 236 yards. He overthrew open receivers much of the day and had less mobility than normal.

Still, he ran for 29 yards and burned Florida several times with scrambles.

The Gators were flat to start the game, no surprise since it was a noon start and came after a disappointing loss against Georgia. Florida turned the ball over six times in the 17-9 loss that left coach Will Muschamp needing help to get to Atlanta.

The Gators vowed to play better against Missouri, but it didn't happen early.

It didn't help that they were without left tackle Xavier Nixon and defensive end Lerentee McCray. Place-kicker Caleb Sturgis also was limited, leaving the game after a blocked field-goal attempt in the second quarter.

Florida also lost starting guards Jon Halapio and James Wilson in the second half.

Gillislee ran 16 times for 68 yards - his fourth consecutive game under 70 yards. Driskel completed 12 of 23 passes for 106 yards. Florida's defense was on the field for 86 plays, but allowed just 335 yards.

The Gators totaled 276 yards, but made enough big plays on both sides of the ball to eclipse last season's win total.

Anthony, a six-time All-NBA selection and 10-time All-Star, has not played for the Rockets since Nov. 8. Discontent between the two-sides in his first season with the team prevented Anthony from being a piece in a championship contending team.

However, his tenure on the Bulls will be short lived. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports that Chicago will move on from one of the best scorers from the 2000s. Wojnarowski also later reported that the Bulls will cut Anthony.

Upon him getting cut by the Bulls, Anthony will become a free agent (again) if he clears waivers. Chicago at 11-38 is a team that appears to be tanking for the 2019 NBA Draft and look to be moving assets to prepare for a push this summer.

Before the Rockets refusal to play Anthony, he averaged 13.4 points on 40.5 percent shooting and 32.8 percent from deep in 10 games.

If Anthony is willing to take a pay cut, another playoff team could be looking to bolster their depth.

Vernon Davis is a charitable guy, and it's one of the reasons he's the Washington Redskins Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

His latest gesture is an attempt to bring a little joy to a grieving family after they recently lost their 17-year-old son, who Davis had previously met. The Redskins veteran tight end met the Howey family and their son, Ryan, who was a huge Washington fan and was going through treatment for brain cancer, according to the team.

Sadly not long after Ryan and his family met Davis, he passed away.

"It broke my heart," Davis told TMZ in a video, adding that about a year ago, Ryan was "totally fine" and going to Redskins games. "It was unfortunate he had to deal with that."

And Davis wanted to do what he could for the Howey family and "bring some joy to their spirit," so he gave them two tickets to Super Bowl LIII, and, with the help of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, he was able to get them a third so Ryan's parents and sister could all attend the game together. Davis said is also paying for their flights to Atlanta and hotel as well.

He said after he heard Ryan passed away, he reached out via FaceTime to the Howey family, and, of course, they didn't know what to expect from such a call. And after he told them what he wanted to do, he told TMZ they were crying "tears of joy."

"It was just on my heart," Davis said in his interview with TMZ. "They were the first ones I could think of when it comes to just making them happy, just bringing some joy in their life after all they've had to deal with their son. I just put myself in that situation, you know? I'm just having some compassion here, and I would want the same thing."